Read Online Copp In Shock, A Joe Copp Thriller (Joe Copp Private Eye Series) by Don Pendleton - Free Book Online

these smaller private jobs. What did you pick up out there?"
    I replied, "Not a hell of a lot. One of the workers told me that Sanford took off while we were still there—which we already knew, of course—and that Janice had left just after us, which I guess also is old information now. So, what is your sensing on all this?"
    The Chief replied, "Why don't you ask me something simple? I put out an APB on Harley while I was waiting for the coroner. So there is a periodic surveillance on his other homes. I don't expect him to show up there, but at least we're covering the bases. Does that meet with your approval?"
    I said, "Fuck it. Since when have you sought my approval?"
    The guy chuckled at me and said, "Fuck you, too."
    I chuckled with him. We were both drawing blanks and we knew it. Poor bastard, I couldn't blame him. His town was caving in around him ; two more homicides and he'd be out of a job. I asked him, "How much longer 'til your retirement?"
    The Chief said, "Retirement, hell. Two more homicides and I'll be out of a job."
    I told him, "You just read my mind, pal."
    He said, "If I was a drinking man, I'd have a snort right now. Maybe I'll have one anyway."
    I said, "Maybe we could classify it as justifiable therapy."
    He uncorked a "short dog" of Jack Daniels from his file drawer and said, "Justifiable or not, fuck it. Let's do it."
    It was a very short bottle, maybe one good snort for each of us. Drinking man or not, this guy punched it in a single gulp.   I did the same and immediately regretted it. We both grimaced appropriately and shivered with the expanding burn from the Tennessee sour mash.
    I've been for hire, been on fire, been in deep and in the dark, even been on ice, and for days I'd been in shock, but that snort capped it all and released the tensions that had put us both on edge. We had become pals again. Whatever your feelings about "the devil's brew," and all its reputed evils, both of us needed that. We would find later that we were going to need much more than that bottle had to offer us.
     
    i went with the Chief to look in on Arthur Douglas, the officer who had been shot earlier. The hospital waiting room was loaded with family and friends anxiously awaiting further word on the officer's condition. They all came to instant attention as we arrived, as though Chief Terry's presence would make it better. A woman of about fifty with wet eyes rose quickly to greet the Chief. He hugged her warmly, gently patted her on the back, and said, "God, I'm sorry, Jean. Have you heard anything?"
    She told him, "They just brought Art back from surgery. The doctor thinks he's going to be okay, but his condition is guarded. They let me in to see him for a couple of minutes, but he hasn't come around yet. Who could have done this, John?"
    The Chief replied, "Don't worry, we're working on that." He motioned me over and introduced me. "This is Joe Copp , he's been working with me on this. Joe is a special investigator from Los Angeles, an old hand at this sort of thing."
    A youth of about twenty with an insincere handshake, maybe a bit still wet behind the ears, rudely asked me, "What does L.A. have to do with this?"
    I told him, "Maybe nothing. I just happened to be in the area investigating another matter. What do you think happened?"
    The kid looked sharp. It turned out he was a cousin of the wounded officer. He said, "Seems obvious to me what happened. From what I heard, Art was shot by that big-deal developer, Harley Sanford. What more do you need to know? That bastard isn't going to get away with this, is he?"
    I said, "I wish it were that easy, but things are often not what they seem to be. The Chief is on top of it. You've got a..."
    The kid jumped right up my frame, and maybe he had a right to. He snorted, "Aw, bullshit. You guys all say that but nothing ever really gets changed. If that guy gets away with this..."
    Jean Douglas hurried into that breach and shushed her nephew with a soft reprimand. She told